Smack, it needs to be a J54DS all the way for you brother! Our PHRF is 66! The lowest recorded for our hull on a sister ship is 42! Smokin hot and tons of room. You and the boys can play touch football in the salon.

Smack, there is a Hunter 45 Center Cockpit for sail up here on Ray Hubbard. I talked to the owner last year. The boat sustained damage in the Galveston hurricane. It was moved up here and has been repaired. He's asking $110,000. If you want to pursue it...I'll get his number for you.

Is it true that no one has mentioned either a Cal 39 or Cal 40 as possible a Smacktanic II?

- SOLID boats (soooooo much better than a Catalina, Hunter, or Euro-plastic tub)
- Pretty damned fast, even by modern standards
- A semi-fixer-upper Cal 39/40 could be had for not too much money, and it would make a great project for Smack and the Smacklings

I've looked at the Cals, C&Cs, etc (along with everything else over the past few years). Nothing against them - but I still like the Hunter or Bene. And I don't want to go over 40' for now. That's plenty of boat for us.

Actually, one of my all-time favorite boats is the Nelson-Marek 45. Although I'm not a fan of CBs - that is a sweet ride inside and out. I would LOVE to sail one.

Smackdaddy keeps defending the Hunter 40 and keeps coming back to this particular make and model. He says he's entertaining the idea of a Bene, but I haven't heard much enthusiasm from him about Benes so far. In fact, there has been a chorus "Benes are better than hunters" but Smack defends the Hunter.

Smackdaddy should buy a Hunter 40.

Why? Because, as I've said many times before here, all decisions to buy boats are firmly grounded in insanity, not reason. I've had other boats look better on my pros/cons list but still gone for the one that I couldn't stop thinking about.

A 40ft boat is going to be quite the relationship, and if you're in love with her, you'll lavish love on her and she'll love you back. If you're not in love with her the to-do list becomes a burden and the flaws start to show through in your mind. If you are in love with the boat, you will be blind to her flaws and she'll be the best boat on the water.

The only exception to my ramblings above would be if you were REALLY going to buy a POS and were a little too blind. You're not though. You're not cooing over an over-priced ferro boat in someone's back yard, or a half built project or GOD FORBID a wooden boat.

Smack, buy the Hunter 40. You're in love with it and you're not hiding it very well.

Seriously, here's the calculus. If it were just me, or just me and the boys, I'd buy the Bene First in a heart beat. No doubt. It's a better boat all-round - one that could take us anywhere on the planet we wanted to go.

BUT, we're not going to be doing a circ, and likely won't be doing a major crossing. We're just going to be cruising - having fun - and spending a good deal of time at anchor.

More importantly, I really want to get my family and friends into it with us. As far as accommodations, both the kids and the f/f will like the Hunter interior more than they'll like the Bene interior. It's just bigger and "nicer". And I can live with and/or address the "seamanship" issues with the interior. (Plus I seriously don't want to deal with that damn headliner issue - or the red sinks - on the Bene.)

So, take that along with the 104 PHRF and the price point - and I think it's a hell of a good compromise boat. Also, Jeff doesn't hate it - that goes a long way with me.

Finally, if I do buy it, I can come back here and kick butt on all the Benehunterlina-hating Nancies. That's worth the price of admission right there.

I think that if you're cruising, you're basically "playing house" at anchor or slip for a significant part of each day. And the time out there relaxing is a lot nicer if you have comfortable accommodations. With kids or family members aboard, roomy private cabins can be really important.

So yes, you basically want a floating condo. But his boat's PHRF rating shows that it can also be a good performer. So it does give a little of the best of both worlds, so long as you're not venturing too far out into serious blue water.

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